Ngw News

PM Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated India's longest bridge, the Dhola-Sadiya bridge, in Assam. The 9.15-km-long bridge located over the Brahmaputra replaced Mumbai's Bandra-Worli Sea Link as India's longest bridge. It will reduce Assam-Arunachal Pradesh travel time by four hours, and also boost defence along the border. The inauguration marks the completion of three years of the BJP government.

A 3-minute video shows India's longest bridge, the Dhola-Sadiya bridge in Assam, which was inaugurated on Friday by PM Narendra Modi, to mark three years of the BJP government. The 9.15-km-long bridge can withstand 60-tonne battle tanks, boosting defence along the Sino-Indian border. The bridge will also cut travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by four hours.

A gallery shows the famous quotes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took the oath three years ago, on May 26. "I can promise you. If you work 12 hours, I will work for 13. If you work 14 hours, I will work for 15 hours. Why? Because I am not a 'pradhan mantri', but a 'pradhan sevak'," says one.

The Delhi Metro's Heritage Line was made open for the public on Sunday, connecting areas of Old Delhi like Daryaganj, Delhi Gate and Red Fort. The three stations of the line - Delhi Gate, Jama Masjid and Red Fort, have been designed in accordance with the heritage of the area to provide glimpses of its past and present.

MoS for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha on Tuesday said that India has emerged as the world's third largest aviation market, with passenger traffic exceeding 10 crore in 2016-17. Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said "average or median airfares" fell by 18% during 2016-17. Further, domestic flight movements rose from 7 lakh in 2014 to 8.2 lakh in 2016.

A British-era bridge in Maharashtra that collapsed in August last year due to rain, has been rebuilt in a record time of 165 days. The new bridge, built at a cost of ₹35.77 crore, has lighting arrangement and flood alarm system. The collapse of the old Masonry Arch Bridge on Savitri and Kal river had killed at least 29 people.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday said that as many as 80,000 people stranded in foreign countries have been successfully brought back to India in last three years. "India's relations with nations from around the world have improved significantly. We've closer ties with almost every nation, than what we used to have till a few years ago," Swaraj added.

West Bengal's capital Kolkata will get India's first underwater metro system, which will pass through the Hooghly river. One of the two tunnels has been completed and is built 30 metres below the earth's surface, near the Howrah Bridge. Notably, this is the first time in India that a tunnel has been made under a flowing river.

The government has launched a new initiative called 'Tele-Law', which will provide free legal assistance to people in rural areas, through video conferencing. Training will also be provided to village women, who will act as paralegal volunteers for villagers. Government-appointed lawyers will provide advice and training on issues like women and child rights, domestic violence and land disputes.

India is among the 18 countries re-elected to the United Nations' Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for another three-year term. India obtained 183 votes, the second highest after Japan in the Asia Pacific category. Pakistan, whose term on the Council is expiring this year, was also seeking re-election but lost as it got only one vote.

India and Switzerland will start exchanging financial account information starting 2019, with the Swiss government formally ratifying the global convention for information exchange on tax matters with 38 countries on Friday. Notably, one of the key poll promises of the Narendra Modi government was flushing out black money, much of which is believed to be stored in Swiss banks.

The Kochi Metro, which started in 2012, was commissioned in 45 months, the shortest time among all Indian metro services. It will provide boat rides to and from the stations for people living on the banks of the backwaters, apart from low-floor buses. Additionally, all stations' rooftops have solar panels and every sixth pillar will have a vertical garden.